Pkoto bij Henry King'] 



[George Street, Sydney. 



A WAR-DANCE, FIJI. 



THE LIVING RACES OF MANKIND. 



CHAPTEE I. 



FIJI ISLANDS, POLYNESIANS, POLYNESIAN RELIGION, TONGA OR FRIENDLY 

 ISLANDS, SAMOA, HERVEY ISLANDS, SOCIETY ISLANDS, P1TCAIRN 

 ISLAND, AND SANDWICH ISLANDS. 



FIJI ISLANDS. 



THE inhabitants of Fiji a group of more than two hundred islands in the South Pacific are 

 properly classified as Papuans; but since they form a sort of link between the Papuans and 

 the Polynesians, it is convenient to describe them first before treating of their neighbours 

 on the east and west. They have greatly declined in numbers since white men brought them 

 the vices and the diseases of civilisation. In 1859 the population of the islands was esti- 

 mated at 200,000; and in 1897, 122,000. Of this last number about 100,000 were Fijians, 

 and 2,300 Polynesians. The people are dark-coloured, frizzly-haired, tall, and muscular; 

 altogether a decidedly fine race. Some of them exceed a height of six feet. Their com- 

 plexion varies from dark brown to the chocolate colour of the Papuan. Their features are 

 more regular than those of the latter. They use the bow and arrow, and also make 

 pottery, both of which arts are foreign to the true Polynesian. 



The men of Fiji devote a great deal of time and attention to dressing their hair. Nearly 

 every chief has a hairdresser, who operates upon him every day, sometimes for several hours. 

 The reader will gather from our illustrations some idea of the effect produced. The hair is 

 naturally strong and somewhat wiry, and therefore capable of retaining its position at a 

 distance of more than six inches from the head. Its frizzly nature is due to each individual 

 hair being elliptical instead of circular in cross section, and thus tending to twist. As might 

 be expected, much ingenuity is expended in devising different methods of dressing the hair. 

 It is dyed in various colours black, red (in several shades), and ashy white. A chief sometimes 



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